DXB Airport - transfer question
 

Hello FT,

Have a maybe stupid question - but i have not been to DXB airport before.

I am travelling to MEL via DXB next month. I will arrive DXB late in the evening with Emirates and my plane to MEL takes off at 10am in the morning.

Do I have to exit the airport to get my bordingcard or can I stay in the lounge and somehow get the boardingcard without leaving the Terminal ?

My ticket says I will arrive in Terminal 3.

Also will my bags be checked in all the way - or do i have to request that at my first check-in ?

Thank you for your input

Assuming you're flying EK148/EK406, you will get both boarding passes upon checking in (whether online or at the desk in AMS). Your bags will be tagged through to MEL.
Not sure if you're in F or J, but regardless I strongly suggest, specially if it's the latter, you book a hotel (e.g. le meridien which is a 2 minute ride by car from the kerbside) and spend your night in comfort.
You could also stay in the airport hotel (which is 1 level up from the lounges) if you want maximum convenience.

Transfer from T1 to T3
 

I would like to inquire about how to transfer from Terminal 1 (fly Dubai) to Terminal 3 (Emirates ? Is it possible to do without passport control or I have to go through passport control and then take a taxi or shuttle bus to T3 ?

Terminal 1 & 3 (or better Concourse 1 & 3) are connected to each other airside, you can just walk. But given your info to be on FlyDubai I think you arrive at Terminal 2, which is a separate building/location. I can't comment on that as I have never travelled via T2 but given that there is a Transfer Desk in T1 for passengers with onward flights from T2 (Desk E) I would assume the same accounts for the other way round.

Thank you for your input edy4eva.

Im flying EK152/EK406 - so i will arrive in DXB at 11pm..

Im traveling in F - should i book airport hotel from home ? I have no clue about prices...actually it should be part of the F service, that you get a cabin or something...

Since a quick search couldnt let me find any sooner flights, and assuming you are flying into Auckland, will the OP not be given accommodation as their stay is >6hours?

Your bags will be checked in all the way to MEL so no worries there, you will not see them till the belt at MEL. They should also be able to print your boarding pass for EK406 at CPH, if not then there is a transfer desk after clearing security on arrival in DXB which can sort you out. You will not need to exit the airport.

All EK flights arrive and depart from Terminal 3 in DXB and the F lounge is great :)

As for the complimentary hotel, I don't think you are entitled to it as you could have chosen EK408 which leaves at 02:40 (via KUL). If you want a hotel, there is the airport hotel and plenty of options nearby outside the airport. If you are Danish you will not need a visa for the UAE.

Thanks alot for your input Zol.

Its correct that there was an earlier flight to MEL - but its not an A380 flight, thats why i choose EK406 :D

Excellent news, i guess i will hang out in Terminal 3 untill my flight leaves DXB.

Careful, if you are flying "flydubai" you are ending up at Terminal 2 (they changed the terminology this week, I am not familiar with it yet), which is not connected to Terminal 1 and 3. It is on the opposite side of the airport (i.e. runways in between them)

Someone with more insights needs to elaborate on this.

Hi,

I will be travelling to Colombo during Christmas. Unfortunately, I had to do the booking on two different tickets. This means that I will arrive in Dubai in Terminal 1 with British Airways ( BA107, 11:30pm ) and have to connect to Terminal 3 for my Emirates flight ( EK650, 2:45am ) to Colombo. Consequently, British Airways won't allow me to check my luggage through, since the booking is on two different tickets. As I assume this is one of the busiest periods in DXB. Thus, I play with the idea of using the Marhaba Service ( ??? AED) or the Al Majlis Service (1500AED). Since I don't need a super special VIP treatment as I already will be flying with Emirates in First, I would tend to the Marhaba Service, if they only would be answering my E-Mails properly, when asking questions. They only send me offers, no response at all. Should I make use of their Immigration Service and transfer landside on my own or should I use/rely on their Transfer Service? ( Don't know if I should rely on them handling my luggage )

Which service would you recommend? Marhaba or Al Majlis?

Unfortunately I hadn't got much success with these questions in the Middle East Forum.

Thank you so much for all your answers in advance!

Strange, BA and EK have interline agreements and hence BA should check through your luggage to CMB even on separate tickets.
I would be worried about missing EK650 altogether, the midnight air traffic period in DXB is known to be extra busy on top of BA107 that usually runs late.
While 3 hours is generally fine to connect, sometimes EK to EK with that much time barely gives an hour to spend in the lounges let alone clearing immigration, collecting baggage, clearing customs, checking in baggage, clearing immigration again. It's a fair bit of walk from landing in T1, then going to T3 at the arrival/departure end.

Having said all that, I recently learnt it is not necessary to have your bags tagged through. The transfer desk in DXB will be able to re-tag your bags through to your final destination without having to clear immigration/customs. This is the case for flydubai, so I can't imagine it's any different for EK:
http://www.flydubai.com/en/plan/connections/

ba.com:

Sadly, in 99% of the cases they won't check the luggage through. Immigration delays can be easily skipped with such Meet & Greet / VIP Services. Also, that's why I'm asking what the Marhaba Transfer Service with baggage identification really delivers? ( As dnata supposedly is the organization beyond this service ) Seems like nobody of their call center agents is capable of returning my E-Mails with any explanation of which service I would really need, just random offers that differ from agent to agent. Hence, their customer service is useless. If I knew, their service would be such you have described, then I would immediately book it.

Since I'll be flying in First Class with Emirates, will I have any fast track possibilities regarding Border Control to leave the country?

BA don't have to (and usually won't) check bags through on separate tickets, but they certainly CAN. I have got them to do so in the past with a little bit of persuasion.

What do you define under persuasion? :)

The F lounge is very comfortable but not for sleeping. If you have a conx over 8 hours EK will probably pay for a room at the Le Meridien if you request it. However, I prefer to spend the money myself and book a room at the airport hotel in the terminal. It's right above the F lounge & you'll get SN extra hour of sleep as you won't need to clear customs & immigration not to mention the drive to Le Meridien